In the interest of full
disclosure, I have a confession to make: I'm not a huge fan of the
Disney Dining Plan. As someone who seldom drinks soda or orders dessert,
some of the plan's features don't actually save me money. That being
said, however, a number of factors combined to make the Disney Dining
Plan seem like a good option for my upcoming trip. I figured I could
use a refresher course on the DDP as it's been a while since I used
it, and I thought I'd share my research.
Dining Plan Options:
There are three versions of
the Disney Dining Plan: the standard plan, called the Disney
Dining Plan (often abbreviated DP); the Quick Service Disney
Dining Plan (QSDP); and the Deluxe Disney Dining Plan (DDP).
The dining plans vary based on the number of table service meal
credits, counter service meal credits, and snack credits allotted to
each guest on the plan. Gratuity is not included on any of the plans.
QUICK SERVICE DINING PLAN
(2019 Pricing with Tax: $52.50 per day for adults, $23.78 children
3-9)
On the Quick Service Disney
Dining Plan, for each night of their stay, each guest on the plan
will receive two quick service meal credits, two snack credits, and
one resort refillable mug.
For example, the Jones
family of four adults is staying at Disney's Old Key West Resort (all
three plans require the party be staying at a Disney-owned resort)
for five nights, and they have chosen the Quick Service Dining Plan.
Because they are there for five nights, each person in the room gets:
- 10 Quick Service Meal Credits
- 10 Snack Credits
- 1 Resort Refillable Drink Mug
STANDARD DINING PLAN
(2019 Pricing with Tax: $75.49 per day for adults, $27.98 children
3-9)
On the Standard Disney
Dining Plan, for each night of their stay, each guest on the plan
will receive one table service meal credit, one counter service meal
credit, two snack credits, and one resort refillable drink mug. For
example:
The Smith family of three
adults is staying at Disney's All Star Sports Resort for five nights.
They have chosen to purchase the Standard Dining Plan. Because they
are there for five nights, each person in the room gets:
- 5 Table Service Meal Credits
- 5 Quick Service Meal Credits
- 10 Snack Credits
- 1 Resort Refillable Drink Mug
DELUXE DINING PLAN (2019
Pricing with Tax: $116.25 per day for adults, $43.49 children 3-9)
On the Deluxe Disney Dining
Plan, for each night of their stay, each guest on the plan will
receive three meal credits usable for either table service or quick
service meals (your choice), two snack credits, and one resort
refillable mug.
For example, the Brown
family of three adults is staying at Disney's Contemporary Resort for
five nights, they have chosen the Deluxe Dining Plan. Because they
are there for five nights, each person in the room gets:
- 15 meals credits of any type
- 10 Snack Credits
- 1 Resort Refillable Drink Mug
All of the Disney Dining
Plans may only be purchased in the form of a Magic Your Way vacation
package which includes a Disney resort stay, theme park ticket (or
annual pass), and the Dining Plan. A minimum three-night stay is also
typically required. The plan may be used by regular Disney World
guests as well as by Disney Vacation Club members paying for their
room with DVC points.
In order purchase the Dining
Plan, all guests (ages 3 and up) staying in the same room must buy
the same version of the plan. Additionally, all guests must be on the
plan for their entire length of stay. You cannot, for example, only
buy the plan for four nights of a six night stay.
What is included in each
meal?
A table service credit
entitles you to one entree, one dessert, and one beverage OR one full
buffet. For the beverage entitlement, guests under age 21 may choose
one non-alcoholic beverage (including “specialty beverages” like
milkshakes, smoothies, or hot chocolate). For guests 21 and older,
the beverage may be a non-alcoholic, alcoholic, or specialty drink.
If you’re on the Deluxe Dining Plan, your table service meals
include the above, plus an appetizer.
A quick service credit
entitles you to one entree and one beverage OR one complete combo
meal. Guests under age 21 may choose one non-alcoholic beverage
(including “specialty beverages” like milkshakes, smoothies, or
hot chocolate). For guests 21 and older, the beverage may be a
non-alcoholic, alcoholic, or specialty drink.
Snacks credits may be used
for most single-serve packaged foods or small dishes costing less
than $5.00. Typical examples of a snack would be a bag of chips, a
Mickey ice cream bar, or a bottled beverage. There are numerous
exceptions to what counts as a snack. Look for a small purple and
white checkerboard symbol on the menu to indicate which menu items are eligible
for Dining Plan snack status. Food options at the Epcot festival
booths (e.g. the Food and Wine Festival and the Flower and Garden
Festival) are typically available as snack options, as well.
Food credits are intended
for flexible use throughout your stay. For example, if you're there
Monday through Friday and are going to Epcot on Tuesday, you can use all
of your snack credit allotments on that day as you visit the
festival food booths. Also, in my experience, the food credits aren't
allotted to individuals, but rather are pooled to the entire party on
the reservation. So if Jon goes through all of his credits for the
trip, there's nothing to keep him from using the credits of other
members of his party. (Don't do that Jon. That would be a pretty
crappy thing to do.)
Also worth noting is that
some Disney restaurants are classified as “signature dining
experiences.” If you’re on the regular or Deluxe Dining Plan and
want to dine at a signature restaurant you will need to spend two
table service dining plan credits per meal.
For 2019, the two-credit
dining experiences are: Cinderella’s Royal Table, Be Our Guest
(dinner), Le Cellier Steakhouse, Monsieur Paul, Hollywood Brown Derby, Tiffins, Jiko, Flying Fish, California Grill, Citricos,
Narcoossee’s, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill,
The BOATHOUSE, Jaleo, STK Orlando, and Morimoto Asia.
The Dinner Shows at Walt
Disney World also require two-credits: Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue and
The Spirit of Aloha.
Some dining establishments
have unique options on the dining plan. For example, at Wine Bar
George your Disney Dining Plan
entitlements vary slightly between lunch and dinner. At lunch, you
can use one table service dining entitlement per person to choose one
of their daily “lunch specials” or two of their “small plates”
and a glass of wine under a certain price. At dinner, you can either
choose two “small plates” with a glass of wine or two people are
dining together could combine their entitlements to get one of the
bigger “entree” meals (usually, a family-style chicken, bass, or
steak platter). Confused yet?
The inclusion of alcoholic
beverages, the ability to use snack credits at the Epcot festival
booths, and the desire to purchase the plan as a Christmas gift for
my daughter all contributed to my decision to give the Disney
Dining Plan another try. I'll let you know how it goes!
